Font ResizeHumboldt County’s state senator introduced a bill that would require further review of the 70 state parks - including five on the North Coast - that are slated for closure in July.
Sen. Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, introduced Senate Bill 974 on Thursday, Jan. 19 following news that a plan was taken off the table that would have allowed private organizations - including for-profit businesses - to operate concessions at 11 of the parks currently slated for closure. Evans said she hopes the bill would be included with the 2012-13 budget package that takes effect in July.
If the bill goes through the regular legislative process, it may take until the end of this year for it to reach the governor’s desk, she said. This would mean that the parks - including Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, Fort Humboldt State Historic Park, Benbow Lake State Recreation Area and Standish-Hickey State Recreation Area - could be closed by then, Evans said.
”If the governor decides he wants to, he could delay the closure,” she said, adding that it can be very costly to reopen the parks. “Only the governor can decide to delay that or not close them at all before July. The Legislature can’t act rapidly enough.”
When lawmakers cut $77 million from the California Department of Parks and Recreation last year, they in turn forced 70 of the 278 state parks to close indefinitely after July. The state issued a request for proposals on Jan. 13 allowing cities, counties and nonprofit agencies to take over operation of the parks, said Roy Stearns, state parks deputy director of communications.
The National Park Service has already agreed to take over operation of Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, he said. Other organizations have also shown some preliminary interest in operating the four other parks on the North Coast, but they are not ready to be identified yet, Stearns said.
